The FIDE Grand Prix concluded with the fourth leg in Khanty-Mansyisk, Russia last month. Uppermost in many of the contestants minds were the two qualifying spots in the next Candidates tournament to decide the challenger to world champion Magnus Carlsen. The tournament was jointly won by Dimitry Jakovenko (Russia), Fabiano Caruana (Italy) and Hikaru Nakamura (USA) on 6½/11. The same three took the top three places in the Grand Prix: Caruana 370 points, Nakamura 347 points and Jakovenko 310 points.
Caruana and Nakamura join the defeated challenger Viswanathan Anand of India in the next Candidates tournament and these three are currently ranked 2-4 in the world behind Carlsen. Caruana, who has dual US/Italian citizenship, has announced he will switch to playing under the US flag. He and Nakamura represent the best chance the USA have had to challenge for the world crown since the days of Bobby Fischer.
Today's game from the fourth round at Khanty-Mansyisk features Caruana with the black pieces against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4
The Ragozin Defence was a favourite of the young Fischer, before it fell out of favour. Its reputation has been revived in recent years. 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6 8.e3 Qa5 9.Bd3 Ne4 10.O-O Nxg5 11.Nxg5 Nf6 12.Qc2 h6 13.Nf3 Bd6 14.Ne5 Ng4 15.Nf3 Nf6 16.h3 O-O 17.Ne5 a6!
The players have been following the game Gelfand-Jakovenko 2009 (with the inclusion of the extra moves 14 and 15), which continued 17... c5?! 18.Nb5! Bxe5 19.dxe5 Nd7 20.f4 and the knight outpost on d6 was very strong for White. The move played removes this possibility. 18.f4 c5 19.g4!?
Threatening to undermine the support of the black d-pawn. White's ambitious plan exposes his king, and so requires very precise play from here on. 19.Rfd1 looks equal. 19... cxd4 20.exd4 Be6 21.Qb3 b5!
Black's idea is to sacrifice a pawn to open lines to the White kingside. 22.f5?!
Taking the bait. 22.Rfd1 Qb6 23.Kg2 Qb7 is still level. Black responds with an important zwischenzug. 22... Qb6! 23.Nf3 Bc8 24.Kg2
Not 24.Nxd5? Nxd5 25.Qxd5 Bb7 26.Qb3 Bf4! and the black pieces swarm into the empty space behind the white pawns. 24... Bb7 25.Na4 Qa7 26.Nc5 Rac8 27.a4?
Allowing Black to carry out his idea. The best chance lay in 27.Nxb7 Qxb7 28.a4 b4 trying to keep lines closed. 27... Bxc5 28.dxc5 d4!
After this pawn sacrifice clearing the a8-h1 diagonal, White's position is very difficult to defend. 29.axb5 axb5 30.Qxb5 Bc6!
Not allowing 30... Nd5 31.c6!? sacrificing the exchange to block the diagonal. 31.Qb6 Qd7 32.Kg1 Rfe8
Bringing the last piece into the attack. 33.Rce1 Rxe1 34.Nxe1 Re8
A good alternative was 34... Qe8! 35.Ng2 Nd5 36.Qb3 Ne3! winning the exchange as taking the knight 37.Nxe3? Qxe3+ 38.Rf2 Qxh3 39.Re2 Ra8 ends badly. 35.Ng2 Nd5 36.Qb3 Ne3 37.Nxe3 dxe3 38.Qc4 Qc7! 39.Qf4
The threat of 39... Qg3 mate wins a piece, as 39.Rf4 e2 has the same result. 39... Qxf4 40.Rxf4 e2 41.Bxe2 Rxe2 42.Rb4 Rg2+ 43.Kf1 Rc2
White resigns, as 44.Rb8+ Kh7 45.b4 Bg2+ and all his kingside pawns will fall.
Grand Prix a US success
Problem: White to play and mate in 5.
The FIDE Grand Prix concluded with the fourth leg in Khanty-Mansyisk, Russia last month. Uppermost in many of the contestants minds were the two qualifying spots in the next Candidates tournament to decide the challenger to world champion Magnus Carlsen. The tournament was jointly won by Dimitry Jakovenko (Russia), Fabiano Caruana (Italy) and Hikaru Nakamura (USA) on 6½/11. The same three took the top three places in the Grand Prix: Caruana 370 points, Nakamura 347 points and Jakovenko 310 points.
Caruana and Nakamura join the defeated challenger Viswanathan Anand of India in the next Candidates tournament and these three are currently ranked 2-4 in the world behind Carlsen. Caruana, who has dual US/Italian citizenship, has announced he will switch to playing under the US flag. He and Nakamura represent the best chance the USA have had to challenge for the world crown since the days of Bobby Fischer.
Today's game from the fourth round at Khanty-Mansyisk features Caruana with the black pieces against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France.
1.d4 Nf6
2.c4 e6
3.Nf3 d5
4.Nc3 Bb4
The Ragozin Defence was a favourite of the young Fischer, before it fell out of favour. Its reputation has been revived in recent years.
5.cxd5 exd5
6.Bg5 Nbd7
7.Rc1 c6
8.e3 Qa5
9.Bd3 Ne4
10.O-O Nxg5
11.Nxg5 Nf6
12.Qc2 h6
13.Nf3 Bd6
14.Ne5 Ng4
15.Nf3 Nf6
16.h3 O-O
17.Ne5 a6!
The players have been following the game Gelfand-Jakovenko 2009 (with the inclusion of the extra moves 14 and 15), which continued 17... c5?! 18.Nb5! Bxe5 19.dxe5 Nd7 20.f4 and the knight outpost on d6 was very strong for White. The move played removes this possibility.
18.f4 c5
19.g4!?
Threatening to undermine the support of the black d-pawn. White's ambitious plan exposes his king, and so requires very precise play from here on. 19.Rfd1 looks equal.
19... cxd4
20.exd4 Be6
21.Qb3 b5!
Black's idea is to sacrifice a pawn to open lines to the White kingside.
22.f5?!
Taking the bait. 22.Rfd1 Qb6 23.Kg2 Qb7 is still level. Black responds with an important zwischenzug.
22... Qb6!
23.Nf3 Bc8
24.Kg2
Not 24.Nxd5? Nxd5 25.Qxd5 Bb7 26.Qb3 Bf4! and the black pieces swarm into the empty space behind the white pawns.
24... Bb7
25.Na4 Qa7
26.Nc5 Rac8
27.a4?
Allowing Black to carry out his idea. The best chance lay in 27.Nxb7 Qxb7 28.a4 b4 trying to keep lines closed.
27... Bxc5
28.dxc5 d4!
After this pawn sacrifice clearing the a8-h1 diagonal, White's position is very difficult to defend.
29.axb5 axb5
30.Qxb5 Bc6!
Not allowing 30... Nd5 31.c6!? sacrificing the exchange to block the diagonal.
31.Qb6 Qd7
32.Kg1 Rfe8
Bringing the last piece into the attack.
33.Rce1 Rxe1
34.Nxe1 Re8
A good alternative was 34... Qe8! 35.Ng2 Nd5 36.Qb3 Ne3! winning the exchange as taking the knight 37.Nxe3? Qxe3+ 38.Rf2 Qxh3 39.Re2 Ra8 ends badly.
35.Ng2 Nd5
36.Qb3 Ne3
37.Nxe3 dxe3
38.Qc4 Qc7!
39.Qf4
The threat of 39... Qg3 mate wins a piece, as 39.Rf4 e2 has the same result.
39... Qxf4
40.Rxf4 e2
41.Bxe2 Rxe2
42.Rb4 Rg2+
43.Kf1 Rc2
White resigns, as 44.Rb8+ Kh7 45.b4 Bg2+ and all his kingside pawns will fall.
0-1
Solution: 1.Nf6+ Kg7 (1... Kh8 2.Qf8#) 2.h6+! Kxh6 3.Qf8+ Kg5 4.Rf5+! gxf5 5.Qg7#.